Archive of Our Own

A.N. Before we begin, I’ve renamed some socials. It’s an AU world where location isn’t mentioned.

Tangent - Twitter

Kamera - Instagram

Originally written for Wlw WangXian Week. I didn't follow any themes because I just wrote it 😂Also, don't take the background of this AU too serious, the idea came like a fever dream and left like a fever dream.😂😂 

Lan WangJi was on a mission, or rather, an impulse of a streak of rebellion. Some may consider it as nothing but her family was a rather traditional one and since Lan WangJi herself played a traditional instrument, she had always kept her hair long, never once cutting it. Often it would be styled into a plait and tied off with a ribbon at the end. However, today something happened to make her reconsider.

It had been a simple text. Just a wrongfully sent text was enough to throw her off her usual pace. Some people would consider her silly but little do most people know that the seemingly aloof second kin of Lan can be quite a sensitive being inside. An act of betrayal; arguably the foulest of them all.

She had been stood up. No, not even that. It was much worse than that as she had been getting to know this person only to have them utterly betray them by admitting that he only did so because of a ploy. A ploy that was thought up by the displeased spoiled second son of the Wen family. How she missed this coming was a mystery. Then again, she hadn’t thought that the other would have so much time on his hands and disliked her so badly. Besides, it was odd that Wen Chao decided to get into suck matters, it seemed more like his girlfriend, Wang LingJiao’s brand.

It was difficult to explain the hurt. It wasn’t like she loved the person she had gotten to know. No, it was more like it was a betrayal of trust. She had decided to agree to a set-up by her Uncle. She was in her twenties and Uncle was already getting worried, seeing as he seemed so bothered by it, she had accepted it.

Many compared her to an ice block, an ice queen, they would say — with the personality of a brick wall. Some said that watching paint dry was more interesting than dealing with her. Of course, these things weren’t said to her face and behind her back but the walls had ears. Of course, it would get back to her. Not to mention, she had the ability to remain in a room without giving off her presence. The only person that could feel her presence was her brother. Even her uncle got tripped up sometimes.

“Why does she even keep her hair like that? Just long, uncut. Who does she think she is? Some Empress in those historical dramas?” A text she had received said.

If it hadn’t been from the person that she thought she could trust, she wouldn’t be so hurt by it.

“You’re right, Wen-xiong, she’s as boring as she can be.” the following text said. “I just can’t believe she actually accepted a date, no man would want a girl like that anyway.”

The person had accidentally texted her. Of course, they recalled it but the evidence was there, they were in a ploy with Wen Chao. She felt devastated as she had disclosed details about herself that she wouldn’t have generally. She thought she could trust this person.

It was hard to describe such a feeling. How would you anyway? She wouldn’t say that she had a broken heart as they were still quite new but she felt extremely betrayed. Trust took so long to build yet it was so easily broken.

No, she didn’t love him. Lan WangJi didn’t even like men, to begin with.

However, she wasn’t quite sure about coming out to her Uncle anytime soon, he had traditional values, and it was difficult for her to gauge his reaction. Uncle was another reason why she never tried to cut her hair any shorter.

Normally comments about her hair wouldn’t bother her, others have made that comment before, after all. Yet, as she stood there in front of the bathroom mirror, she couldn’t help but feel outdated.

Outdated like they had called her.

So, she had a crazy thought - Uncle would not be pleased. But she wanted a change. A drastic change.

She was going to donate her hair to charity.

She needed a change.

So, with her mind made up, she walked over to the nearest and first hair salon she could find.

The place she settled for was a nice looking salon. Not too big but just big enough. The walls were mostly white save for one wall which was painted charcoal black. Red salon chairs aligned with their large mirrors. Its floors, covered with a large checkered pattern, much like an American diner’s. The same vintage theme was carried through the rest of the salon with silver shelves. At the reception was a shy-looking boy, at least she thought they were a boy, they had long hair with thin braids woven in, tied to the side and feminine features, not to mention, they had blue eye shadow and makeup on, making it seem like they were female rather than male, it wasn’t until she spied their adam’s apple that she could tell. On the reception desk was a black urn, on it was a label with the words “Ashes of Rude Clients” printed in a fancy font.

The decoration had such character.

Uncle would not approve. A small voice chided in her mind.

She shrugged it off, she was here now, she was determined.

A laughter rang in through the air, much like a siren’s song, music to her ears. She looked ahead of her, trying to find the owner of the voice that sang like a bird.

It was then, she saw her. A high ponytail secured by a red ribbon in her hair. Long inky locks that melted into fiery red at the end, as if one could go up in flames just by touching it. The girl was short but she had rather- how could she say it without making it obvious she was staring? She was curvy, with a slim waist and the high waisted black skinny jeans helped accentuate that small waist and round rear. Lan WangJi was staring, she definitely was staring.

A laugh once again filled the air as the girl spoke to the client currently in her chair. A clacking noise was heard as she walked around her client. As she came more into view, Lan WangJi noticed that she was wearing red slingback heels, the colour matches her top that she could now see was an off the shoulder fitted top. Despite her being dressed, Lan WangJi felt like she was seeing the other girl’s exposed body. With horror, she realised that she was literally undressing the girl in her head.

“Um, excuse me, Miss. D-Do you have an ap-appointment?” asked a soft, meek voice.

It was then, she remembered the teen at the reception. She had completely forgotten he existed while she was staring at the other female. It was quite interesting since the teen had quite a bold appearance with purple streaks in his hair and bold blue eye shadow, you would have thought he would be quite confident.

“No, but I would her to cut my hair.” she said before eyeing the other female to show who she wanted.

“O-okay! I will see what appointments we have!” the teen behind the desk said meekly as he started to nervously type into the keyboard of what she assumed was their book system.

“How does tomorrow sound?” he asked, trying to regain his composure.

Many described her aura as being intimidating, she knew this as she could see how others would act around her but it wasn’t like she could change that about herself either, frankly, she just didn’t connect to others as some may. Her brother often teased her about the aloofness she gave off or how she intimidated any potential suitors. “Ai, A-Zhan, the boys are scared of you, that’s okay because you don’t want to date any, but you’re scaring the girls away too. How are you ever going to get a date like this?” he had teased once.

Her brother was always relentless, always trying to scheme for someone who may not be afraid to date her. It was a shame that it wasn’t her thing, she wanted to find love naturally, not through an arrangement.

How ironic, how about your recent decision, her traitor brain said.

“If not tomorrow, there are other times the day after.” a nervous voice cut into her thoughts.

“None today?” she asked. It had to be today, if it were tomorrow, she would have had time to think this through, she wouldn’t consider this impulsive move.

“I-I-I’m sorry! There are none today! I do apologise for that!” the meek-looking teen stammered out. She realised that she probably came across as being angered or demanding, she should probably rectify this. However, before she could, she heard the clacking of the heels.

“Who’s booked in after my current client, A-Yu?” she heard the velvety, confident voice speak as the sound of clacking heels came closer.

It was then, Lan WangJi had the pleasure of setting eyes on the hairdresser. Despite her tall heels, she was short with devastatingly beautiful silver eyes, her lips made Lan WangJi want to grab her and kiss her. She suddenly felt very shy and seen when those silver eyes locked with hers.

“Ai, Da-jie, you’re so pretty but you’re scary my poor A-Yu here! He’s not used to dealing with such intimidating people!” she laughed cheerfully without any malice.

Lan WangJi’s heart was thumping against her chest, her ears were sizzling.

“You have a colour after this, Xian-jiejie.” said the teen boy, sounding calmer when the hairdresser was by his side.

“Well,” the pretty girl said as she moved behind the computer before a few clicking noises followed. “I guess she’s your client now, A-Yu!” she laughed lightly, flicking her fringe that had fiery red at the ends, similar to her hair at the back out of her face.

Oh, how Lan WangJi wanted to comb her figures in those silky locks.

“B-B-But- Xian-jiejie! I can’t possibly- I’m not-” the teen stammered out.

“Nonsense! You do colour so well! I know you can do it, A-Yu.” she said.

“But she’ll be angry! She booked for you and b-besides walk-ins have to wait!” the boy stammered.

“I know you can do it, A-Yu!” the stylist beamed. “Besides, pretty jiejies get to skip the queue!” she teased as she winked at Lan WangJi, causing her to flush inside. For once, she was glad her face didn’t show emotions well.

Despite the awkward exchange, the boy lit up, choosing to focus on the words of encouragement instead. “I’ll ask A-Yang to help!” he chirped.

“Yes, do that and book this pretty Da-jie under my name, hm?” she said with a wink once again, definitely directed at Lan WangJi herself.

Oh, her heart would not stop beating.

So, this was how she ended up sitting in the salon, watching the shorter female finish off the client before her.

Despite her heels, she was on her tippy toes as she lifted the woman’s hair in her chair as she cut into it. Lan WangJi wanted to badly lift her to ease her from her problems but that would be inappropriate. She had to force herself to look away or she’d be caught staring the whole time, so, she focused her eyes on her phone.

“Meimei, where are you? Uncle’s been trying to get a hold of you.” a text notification said, followed by a few missed calls from Uncle and a text that said, “Call me when you’re free, WangJi.”

Instead of replying, she chose to ignore it and admire the rest of the decoration around her. On the walls were ornate black frames filled with pictures of skeletons, each of them doing different poses, sporting different hairstyles. It was rather quirky and somehow fit into the style the salon gave off along with who she presumed was the owner of the salon.

“Anything to drink for you?” said a rather bored sounding voice, almost like he didn’t want to actually be there. She looked over at the owner of the voice and found a teen, most likely around the same age as the timid teen at the reception. He had, what she presumed to be medium length hair that was pulled back into twisted into a high ponytail with yellow ends, done in a similar style to the girl in red’s hair. He had a side-swept fringe, with yellow streaks running through it, he also had— from what she remembered them calling it, a side-shave on the left side, it was artistically patterned. There was also blue woven into the side shaven part. This was probably ‘A-Yang’ that the timid teen had mentioned earlier.

“No, thank you. I’m fine for now.” she replied politely.

“Okay, your loss.” the teen replied before walking off while the timid teen chided the other in a hushed voice about his manners.

This was a rather interesting place.

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“So, pretty-jiejie, your name is Lan WangJi~” the velvety voice rang as the sound of clacking heels made their way over to her.

Lan WangJi was glad her ears were covered as they were definitely red, sizzling. If this was a cartoon, steam would be coming out of her ears.

“I’m Wei WuXian, by the way. But call me ‘Wei Ying’. We barely use courtesy names these days anyway!” she mused. “Well, personally, I don’t care but I understand important figures like the Lan corporation would care a bit more, so I’d understand if you won’t give me your birth name, pretty-jiejie~” Wei Ying teased as she tossed her inky locks behind her, giving a light huff.

Lan WangJi was going to lose control. She never felt this way before, never had such impure thoughts about someone else but all she wanted to do was press Wei Ying against the wall and kiss her silly. But surely, a pretty girl like Wei Ying has a boyfriend, she definitely does.

Wait, did Wei Ying know of her? She had mentioned her family being important figures. Surely, she knew who she was, right?

She didn’t want to be formal with someone like Wei Ying, no, she wanted to know more about her. Back in her youth, she would have scoffed and frowned upon someone like Wei Ying, a girl who was just a flirt as she ran her mouth, she would have called her careless with her words and actions. However, she had a different perspective now. Besides, she couldn’t help but be reeled in by the magnetic personality the other had. So, as she looked up at Wei Ying from her seat, watching as her eyes, filled with mischief and fun stared at her, all she could say was.

“Lan Zhan.”

“Hm?” the shorter girl replied, confusion on her face.

“Call me ‘Lan Zhan’, Wei Ying.” she replied.

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“So, what will it be today?” Wei Ying said once she was seated in her chair.

“I want to donate my hair to charity. I just want a change.” she replied as she stared at herself in the mirror. Something about how she was illuminated in the mirror made her more determined to do this. She felt like she was being drowned by her hair.

“You have such beautiful hair. Whoever receives it will be so lucky.” the girl in red said, brushing her hair out as she held it in her hands. “It’s so well taken care of despite it being so long. Sometimes long hair can split if not taken care of properly.” she continued. “So, how much would you like off?” she asked as she held a mirror to show her how much would be cut odd and how it would look at the back.

“As much as possible as you can cut.” she replied.

“Oh! A complete change! Feeling extremely adventurous are you? I love it!” the girl chirped. “I’m surprised though, Lan-jiejie! Isn’t your family extremely traditional? It was all the rage a few years ago when your brother cut his hair! The tabloids were raging and his fans on Tangent were fighting each other.” she mused.

“You seem to have heard of us heavily.” she replied, feeling disappointed that she knew nothing about Wei Ying.

“The Lans are almost royalty, you know, next to the Jins and the Wens.” she replied, saying the last part of the sentence with heavy distaste as if they personally offended her. “You guys are known to be the lesser evil out of the triangle of old money folks.” she mused. “Every time something happens it makes headlines.” she laughed.

“The last scandal from you guys was your brother for sure.” she mused.

“What did you think about his change?” Lan WangJi found herself asking, for some reason Wei Ying’s opinion was just so important to her.

“It looks great on him and I always invite change! As long as he’s happy with his haircut, who am I to decide whether it was right or wrong of him to do such a thing?” she beamed. “I’m curious though, do you Lans have an office nearby or something?”

“What do you mean?” she asked curiously.

“Oh, nothing. It’s just that here’s an awfully in the middle of nowhere place for you to be near. It’s not a bad area but forgive me to put it so bluntly, it doesn’t seem like a place where the upstanding daughter of Lan would just waltz into.” she mused with an air of mystery around it, there was something in her eyes as if she knew more than she wanted to say.

“I just happened to be in the area… In truth, I wandered.” she replied.

She hadn’t seen where she was going in reality, she had been so high on emotion that she beelined for the first beauty salon she saw. She didn’t even know the name of the salon, in fact. Wei Ying’s statement now had her pondering but she wasn’t sure whether she should push it, or whether she even could.

“Here’s a lookbook, by the way, maybe you can find a style you like in it.” Wei Ying said as she handed her the book, its pages open on the section on short haircuts. However, Lan WangJi found herself shutting the book.

“Surprise me.” she said instead, surprising herself. She was a creature of habit. Went to bed straight at 9 pm, no earlier, no later. She was just like clockwork, her morning and weekly routine were airtight and she never differed from it. Today was a whole day of change, it would seem.

“Ooo~ A challenge! I like it!~” Wei Ying chirped. “Oh, before we start, do you mind if I take photos? I like to take before and after photos to show the difference I’ve made! It’ll be up on my socials, mostly my Kamera though, for my portfolio and everything! But if you don’t want me taking any photos or posting them as you are a high profile figure, you have every right to refuse.” she smiled.

“I don’t mind, I can give you some as they say clout.” she said, her fingers using quote marks in the air when she said ‘clout’.

Wei Ying laughed cheerfully in response, her voice, like a siren’s song.

“Lan-jiejie, did anyone ever tell you that you’re actually really funny as a person?” she smiled as she leaned over, taking the book off of her.

She couldn’t help but stare at the other girl’s chest. Sure, there wasn’t much to see as her top wasn’t a low riding it but one could use their imagination. Did Wei Ying know how alluring she was? She was like the sun and it was almost impossible to imagine a glum moment with her. She couldn’t help but wonder where Wei Ying had been all her life.

She watched Wei Ying closely as she sectioned off her hair, tying and separating it into different sections.

“So, as short as possible. There’s no turning back now!” she said.

She took one last look at the sad, drowned looking form of herself, her mind bouncing back to the events of today. Taking in a deep breath before letting it out slowly, then she said with all the determination in her, “Do it.”

The sniping of scissors in the air could be heard as Wei Ying cut off all the hair, the long inky locks now placed into a bag and set in a matching red salon chair next to her.

“Right, let’s get you shampooed and everything, shall we?” she beamed as she led her over to the basin. She sat down, a bit of uncertainty in her as it was an experience she never had. She never visited any salons, she never had the need to. That uncertainty quickly changed to relaxation, however. She could feel Wei Ying’s hands working around her, rinsing her hair with the showerhead and then moving on to the shampooing. Then came the part that she swore she had never felt better in her life, the head massage. She could feel Wei Ying’s nimble fingers working her way into her scalp and all the way down into her neck. With each motion, she could feel her troubles disappear. The betrayal, the mocking words, all of them, disappearing.

She almost didn’t hear the other when they told her they were done.

“Aiyo, did Lan-jiejie enjoy herself so much she almost fell asleep?” Wei Ying mused teasingly as she fastened the towel around her hair, signalling for them to return to the salon chair.

“Ridiculous.” she replied quickly, earning a laugh from Wei Ying.

“Right, you’ve given me free rein, no yelling at me if you don’t like it, alright?” Wei Ying mused as she dried her hair with the towel, Lan WangJi couldn’t help but watch her actions in the mirror, watching how those fingers moved with those red nails. Red suited her so well.

“So, do you and your brother get along?” Wei Ying asked as she was cutting her hair.

“We do, I could say that the two of us are close.” she replied.

“He always struck me as a nice guy.” Wei Ying smiled. “Plus, he is rather good looking. I don’t know what you Lans eat but it’s working for you both, that’s for sure!” she laughed.

“You think brother is attractive?” she asked, a hint of jealousy flooding her. Everyone had always said he was. Girls fawned over him, it was no secret at all. However, she didn’t like the idea of Wei Ying finding him attractive, not when she wanted her to feel attracted to her.

“Hm, I guess. I mean he is but he’s not my type.” Wei Ying said absentmindedly, pausing the haircut for a moment. “He’s handsome, don’t get me wrong but he’s just not my type.” she said casually before continuing with the haircut.

This was good news. Wei Ying didn’t feel like Lan XiChen was her type, this was perfect.

“Besides, I don’t think I’d stand a chance, no offence but you’re brother’s not straight.” she mused.

The shock must show on her face as Wei Ying gave a huff in response. “I can just tell! In fact, there’s so much gossip about him dating the Nie corporation leader.” she mused. “I think they’d make a good couple.” she remarked.

“How about me? Do you think I’m straight?” she found herself asking, almost desperately. Not because she was afraid she’d been found out, more like she was hoping to ease Wei Ying into telling her where she stood. Was she also under the umbrella?

“I think Lan-jiejie is hiding who she is to those who are close to her but I do think that your dear gege does know.” she teased as she carried on cutting her hair.

“And how about Wei Ying?” she asked carefully.

“Me? I just like pretty people.” she replied cryptically, a smile on those delicious looking lips. How she wanted to capture those lips with hers, how she wanted to see the lipstick on her all smudged around her face or Wei Ying’s flustered face.

“Your original client, wouldn’t she be angry that you changed stylists for her?” she asked, deciding to change the conversation.

“Hm, I don’t think so. A-Yu does a great job, he just needs the encouragement. Besides, you looked like it was a do or die situation so I couldn’t just let you leave!” she smiled. “So, what was it? A breakup? A bad day?” she asked.

“Not exactly a breakup. A betrayal is more of how I would describe it.” she replied.

“Mm, I can get that. Betrayals are awful. Well, you can hopefully manoeuvre through life at a new angle now. Some people see cutting off all their hair as therapeutic and cutting off a previous problem.” she replied.

There was a comfortable silence between them as the snipping of scissors could be heard, Lan WangJi spent the entire time watching Wei Ying’s actions as she cut her hair, admiring her face that was full of concentration. Did she know how devastatingly beautiful she was?

“And, we’re done!” she heard the other say after the snipping and the sound of the hairdryer. She couldn’t help but stare at herself in the mirror. There was no longer the glum girl who was drowned by her hair and her traditions, no, there was a new person. Wei Ying had magic, she swore. Her hair was now short, styled in a pixie cut. Wei Ying had also put some product into it to help give it an edge.

“Amazing.” she said quietly. “Wei Ying did such a great job.” she continued.

“It does help that Lan-jiejie is such a pretty person. It helps elevate my skills to the next level~” Wei Ying teased.

“Do not tease.” she replied, before getting up from the chair, taking the bag on the other chair with her.

She heard the other laugh as she walked to the reception. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the other client sitting there being attended by the teens from earlier.

“How much do I owe you?” she asked as she took out her purse to pay.

“Nothing, consider it a gift.” Wei Ying mused with a wink.

No, that won’t do. She couldn’t just not pay for a service Wei Ying gave. That wasn’t right.

“No, I will pay.” she replied.

“I don’t want to charge you, pretty-jiejie.” Wei Ying replied.

“No, I insist. You should be paid for your good service.” she replied.

“Hm, write me a nice review then.” Wei Ying replied in a carefree manner as she stretched herself out, reminding Lan WangJi of a cat.

“Let me buy you a drink in appreciation then.” she found herself saying, oddly brave for once.

“Okay, fine. I’ll choose an expensive café~ I’m sure it won’t hurt your purse too much, would it?” Wei Ying mused with a wink.

“It would be my pleasure.” she replied.

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They exchanged numbers in the end and socials. Lan WangJi immediately jumped onto her social media when she got home and went through her social like a stalker. Along with the salon’s Kamera page, she had found Wei Ying’s one and followed it.

Wei Ying was beautiful. Her entire Kamera feed filled with her smiles, she looked great in general. She especially loved the ones where they were just casual selfies. There were some on there purposefully posed, definitely taken by a professional. She couldn’t help but wonder who it was that took her photos for her. Whoever it was, knew how to capture her, how to get the best smiles out of her, she could feel herself be overcome with jealousy. She didn’t even feel remorseful or ashamed that she was stalking her like that.

She now understood the feeling some girls had when their crush touched their hand and how they don’t ever want to wash it. Wei Ying’s hands had been in her hair the entire time, she was almost tempted to never wash it but of course, that was disgusting.

Speaking of her hair, her uncle had not been pleased in the end, he only seemed to pipe down when she told him that she donated all that hair to charity. It wasn’t like she was going to be any different. Lan WangJi was still going to wear her blouses and smart dresses. She had seen plenty of women do this anyway. Besides, short-haired women often meant business.

Her brother, on the other hand, complimented her hair, saying, “Ah, A-Zhan, it suits you so well.”

She, of course, was pleased, she was proud. Wei Ying did such a good job after all. All she could think of now was the next time they would meet.

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“Excuse me, Miss. Is this seat taken?” asked a feminine voice as Lan WangJi looked up from her book. She was greeted by a smile like the sun itself, black inky locks with red woven in.

Wei Ying.

“Wei Ying.” was all she could manage.

“Lan Zhan.” she smiled back. Wei Ying was dressed in a red dress today. It was a sleeveless red dress with bows on the straps, and a flared out bottom. A white belt with a bow was attached to her waist to further emphasise her already thin waist. Her hair was down today, but she wore a large red bow at the back. Lan WangJi was glad she had picked to dress in her nice blouse with a peter pan collar, a blue bow at the front and a high waisted long pale blue skirt at the bottom.

“I see you’re rocking that new hairstyle well and have listened to my advice.” Wei Ying laughed as she plopped down opposite her in the seat. “So, any recommendations for drinks here?” she mused, her beautiful silver eyes as flirty as ever. Upon closer look, she was wearing pearl eyeshadow with black eyeliner, her luscious lashes batting as she blinked.

Her heart will never be calm around the other.

“Their hot chocolate is nice.” she replied.

“Hmm, let me have a look.” the other girl replied as she looked at the menu on the tablet attached to the table. “Oooo! Chilli hot chocolate!” she said excitedly. “Well, that’s what I’m drinking!” she beamed. “What will you be drinking, Lan Zhan?” she asked.

“Earl Grey.” she replied.

“Oooo, a nice choice.” she smiled, quite ready to pay the bill, except Lan WangJi won’t allow it. She had said she would pay after all.

“My treat.” she said firmly before scanning the QR code displayed on the tablet and quickly paying it off.

“Lan Zhan!~” Wei Ying whined, a pout on her face. Lan WangJi discovered that she rather liked it when Wei Ying whined, especially more when she pouted. It was so cute, not to mention those very kissable lips, coloured with rouge, the same intensity as the red dress she wore.

“I did say I was going to treat you to a drink, Wei Ying.” she said, finding herself huffing at the other’s pouting face.

“Lan Zhan, you’re laughing at me!” Wei Ying cried, a pout on her face. Wei Ying was so fun to tease. “But thank you for our drinks.” she said quietly.

“So, what do you do for a living, Lan Zhan? I know you’re probably busy with the family business but do you do anything else on the side?” Wei Ying asked after a while of sitting there. Lan WangJi was glad that Wei Ying could chat and didn’t mind chatting away as she wasn’t much of a chatter herself. This was how she found it difficult to even communicate with others in the first place.

“I like to teach piano on the side.” she replied.

“Of course, you would!” Wei Ying exclaimed. “The piano makes such a beautiful sound.” she remarked.

“I enjoy it. It’s a nice escape from life.” she found herself admitting. “Does Wei Ying enjoy hairdressing?”

“Yes, I love it.” she smiled. “It’s challenging and gives me the ability to be creative. It’s great.” she continued as she threw her hands up in the air in an animated fashion.

“Wei Ying does it well.” she replied.

“I’m glad I have a happy client.” Wei Ying replied.

The drinks arrived, and Wei Ying happily tucked in, pure bliss on her face as she drank her hot chocolate, making sounds of appreciation. It should be illegal for someone to look so beautiful when they were feeling blissful.

She wondered what Wei Ying thought of her. She hoped that Wei Ying found her as interesting as she found her. So, they drank their drinks, chatting over many different topics. Well, Wei Ying mainly making most of the talk, and Lan Zhan, just listening. Wei Ying liked cats, was terrified of dogs but has a black Syrian hamster named ‘Tapioca’. The hamster was a rather cute looking one with lighter rings around his eyes and long fluffy fur. Wei Ying stated that she wouldn’t mind a cat but would be scared about what sort of havoc she would come home to if she let it have free rein. 

Lan Zhan shares pictures of her bunnies while Wei Ying coos over how cute they are, then follows up with how delicious they look. Of course, Lan Zhan chided her, well, as much as she could muster because Wei Ying was lucky she was so cute.

Whoever said that time flies by when you’re having fun was right, as Lan WangJi found that it was soon time to go home.

“Hey, I really had fun today, Lan Zhan. Let’s meet up again soon, alright?” Wei Ying chirped.

“Every week.” she found herself replying.

“Oh, I’m so flattered that you would want to see little old me so often! But yes, let’s! I’ll see you next week then, Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying with her smile like the sun said.

“See you next week.” was her reply.

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And so, the two fell into a steady rhythm. Wei Ying very quickly became part of Lan WangJi’s weekly schedule. Every Monday, like clockwork, they would meet up. She loved her Mondays now that Wei Ying was there to kickstart the week into a good one for her. The weeks were always good whenever she saw Wei Ying. Honestly, if she could see her more often, she’d love it. However, the good thing was that she’d see Wei Ying about every four weeks for a haircut as her hair grew quite quickly. 

Many had complimented her hairstyle, and the salon had been booming with business because of her photos. She was glad as Wei Ying was all smiles and excitement whenever they met up. However, she also was worried, worried that Wei Ying would meet someone else and they would steal her away from her. But she felt guilty that she acted like she had a hold of Wei Ying as she belonged to no one. A free spirit like her belonged to nobody.

It had been another meeting at a café, and it went swimmingly until when they were about to leave. It was getting a bit late, and the area they were in was a bit far from her home. She didn’t mind, but she knew she’d have to wait a while before a car could pick her up.

“It’s a bit late, Lan Zhan. Why don’t you come over to mine while your car comes to pick you up?” Wei Ying asked as if reading her mind. “It’ll be safer if you waited at mine anyway, and it’s close by.” Wei Ying explained. 

“Mm.” she replied, seeing this as a good opportunity to see what Wei Ying’s life at home was like.

The flat was quite spacious. It was a sort of chaos that was between messy and tidy. 

“Here, let me hang up our coats, or Qing-jie is going to kill us.” she mused.

Qing-jie, as it turned out, was a friend of Wei Ying’s but very much like a sisterly figure to her. She also had a younger brother, Wen Ning, who was a shy sort of boy but seemed nice enough. It made her curious as she remembered Wei Ying’s remark about the Wens and the Jins. However, the two she shared a flat with had the surname Wen. She wondered if it was something that happened between them and the main branch that made her feel such a way. Despite this, she knew it wasn’t her place to ask.

She ended up staying for food, enjoying the delicious and, luckily, not super spicy meal Wen Qing managed to get to her. The amount of red on Wei Ying’s dish made her shiver. She was glad she was saved from such a fate. After dinner, Wen Qing had sent Wei Ying to wash the dishes, probably to get some time to know her herself. She could understand it. You always want to know if your friends are keeping good new company.

“It truly is a wonder if you Lans have an office near where she works.” Wen Qing mused when Wei Ying was far away enough to not hear them.

“It was completely by accident, I assure you.” she replied, finding the other woman quite intimidating despite being seen as such herself.

“Well, one thing I’m glad for is that she at least eats lunch on her days off.” Wen Qing mused. “Your little café dates have assured she has some lunch in her system for one day of the week.” 

“One lunch of the week?” she asked curiously.

“Well, let me ask you something, have you, in all your appointments, ever seen the girl at least order food to the salon?” Wen Qing asked pointedly.

“I have not.” she replied, realising that it was true. Wei Ying had never once been in the middle of eating or ordered any food to the salon. Even the juniors were seen drinking something or having a snack there. She had chalked it up to her timing. Now that Wen Qing pointed it, however, she could not simply overlook it.

“I will see to it that she gets her lunch.” she said determinedly. 

“I knew I liked you for a reason.” Wen Qing replied despite not sounding any more pleased.

She would hate to see what she was like if she disliked her.

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True to her word, Lan WangJi delivered lunch diligently to the salon. At this point, her driver knew her expectations. And while at first Wei Ying tried to deny the food, she eventually gave in when she saw the faces of her salivating juniors. After that time, she would often ask Wei Ying in advance what food she wanted and would bring it over to the salon. At this point, she saw Wei Ying seven days a week.

“Lan Zhan, don’t you ever get tired of seeing me?” Wei Ying would ask her while she happily dug into her food along with the other co-workers. At this point, they all ate together when they could. This was how he came to learn that an acquaintance that she had through her brother worked with Wei Ying. He certainly did a double-take when he saw her for the first time.

Nie HuaiSang, it turned out, was a beauty technician there. He did nails and makeovers, and the reason why Wei Ying’s nails were always perfect was very much due to him. He also really enjoyed using Mo XuanYu as well as Wei Ying for his Kamera lookbooks. Occasionally, even Xue Yang couldn’t escape and got roped into it as well. Lan Zhan, of course, has all of the ones of Wei Ying screenshotted in her phone.

Today was no different from this scenario.

“Okay, hold that pose a bit longer. Perfect.” she heard as she stepped into the salon, seeing Wei Ying leaning against a salon chair, her back curved so that her chest was popping out, exaggerating her features. Her head was popped back as one of her arms was in her hair. She had her hair pulled into two plaits while there were smaller, more intricate plaits and red ribbons woven into her hair. She was in a modern styled red hanfu, the black skirt cinching in her waist and showing off how tiny it was. Lan WangJi wondered what it was like to wrap her arm around the other’s waist. On her feet, she wore red sandals with block heels- A striking look for sure. When she got closer, she could see that Wei Ying had red-winged liner pulled all the way back, her lips the same red. 

“Okay, all done!” Nie HuaiSang said before setting down the camera.

“Oh yay! Just in time for food!” Wei Ying cried as she happily skipped into the bathroom to what Lan Zhan assumed was to get changed. 

“Ooo~ What did you bring today?” said another voice as a pretty girl waltzes into the room, one that Lan Zhan knew now as ‘MianMian’. She remembered how she was green with envy when she first met the other, seeing her as another threat to her newfound friendship with Wei Ying, as well as a love interest. However, more interaction revealed that MianMian was quite serious with her boyfriend, so it was a relief. Besides, knowing what she knew now, they were definitely friends and not love interests.

“Sushi.” she replied. 

“Oh yum! It’s been a while!” she replied. “Hey, Wei Ying, get out of the bathroom! Some of us were working all this time and need a toilet break!” she cried as she pounded on the door. The door opened almost immediately.

“Oh, rude, I was working. Just my side job!” she replied as she walked out with the previous clothes slung over her arms. 

“HuaiSang doesn’t pay you!” MianMian teased back before entering the bathroom.

“He does in clout and sponsors!” she laughed back.

“Go stuff your stupid face with food!” was the reply from the bathroom.

“Thank you for the food, Lan Zhan! How much do I owe you?” Wei Ying asked, her eyeliner still on her face, but her lipstick was now removed. She was in a short red pleather skirt today, a white shirt and a black waistcoat that once again accentuated her waist. Lan WangJi could feel her heart escaping.

“Nothing.” she replied.

“Lan Zhan!~” Wei Ying whined, pouting at her. “Fine, I’m paying for our food next week!” she huffed.

“Alright.” Lan Zhan replied, amused how Wei Ying would be so easily bothered about these things. She carried on, watching her as she happily shoved the sushi into her mouth.

“YangYang, come eat before I eat your portion!” she heard her cry out before the teen came stalking in. Today he had green in his hair instead, a different pattern in his side shave.

“You eat all my food, old hag, and I’ll shave all your hair off!” he said as he plopped himself next to her and began eating despite his threatening words towards her.

“Ai, A-Yang. How many clients did you threaten today with that threat, hm?” she laughed.

“It’s coz you stopped me!” he replied.

Xue Yang was an oddball. Lan WangJi could never quite fathom why Wei Ying took him in as he had a habit of threatening rude clients. Sometimes, admittedly they were warranted, like that gross man that wouldn’t stop trying to force his number on Wei Ying. His lack of customer service really made her wonder how he got the job in the first place. Sure, he was a junior and he was allowed to make mistakes, but threatening others with shaven heads was just toeing the line if someone asked her. However, Wei Ying seemed to adore chaos and took in this unruly teen under her wing. 

“You can’t just shave every rude person’s hair.” Wei Ying replied while Xue Yang shot her a look that very much said, “Just try me.” 

“Mm, this food is so good!” the girl sighed happily as she continued eating her yellowtail sashimi. 

“Thank you for the food.” said a soft voice, the voice belonging to none other than Mo XuanYu, who sat themselves next to Xue Yang. Those two strangely got along well. It was odd but also made sense in a way. In a way, she would describe Wei Ying and her friendship as being similar too.

“A-Ning, if you don’t stop working, I’m going to eat your inari!” Wei Ying threatened. Suddenly, as if called by the inari itself, the young man sat down next to Mo XuanYu and quickly picked up the inari on the table and put it on his plate.

“You better not be eating my takoyaki, Wei WuXian!” cried a voice as the bathroom door dramatically slammed open.

“Mm, I was about to, but I wouldn’t dream of it, MianMian-daren.” Wei Ying mused as MianMian sat down next to Wen Ning before HuaiSang appeared and sat between her and Lan WangJi, closing off the busy circle of work colleagues. HuaiSang leant over and sneakily held out her phone to her, the text on the phone reading, “I’ll send you her pics later.” 

Nie HuaiSang was such a sneaky one, always able to read her mind when it came to all things Wei Ying. She loved and hated it at the same time. However, she was getting some free pictures out of it, so she wasn’t complaining.

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So more days with Wei Ying and haircuts lulled on. She now had a large folder of Wei Ying’s photos, all sent by Nie HuaiSang, even the full ones of the ones of her on her Kamera. When asked how he even got those pictures, as it didn’t seem like photos taken in the style of Nie HuaiSang’s, the other simply said with a light laugh, “I know her brother! He owes me some favours!” 

She was glad that Nie HuaiSang only had Wei Ying’s best interests in mind.

It was when Nie HuaiSang mentioned her brother that Lan WangJi realised that she didn’t know much about Wei Ying. Wei Ying, who was so upfront with her feelings, so unafraid to be happy, rowdy and unruly. However, when it came to her family, she was as secretive as anything. Almost as secretive as she had asked her that day whether her family had a nearby headquarters. She was still trying to figure out those words she had asked her the first day they had met.

The betrayal was long forgotten now. After the situation, Lan WangJi found it in herself to tell her Uncle the truth. He took it surprisingly well, sighed and said he had suspected as much. Then asked her to “Just bring home a nice girl.”

Wei Ying was a “nice girl”, but she doubted that her Uncle meant that sort of “nice girl”. She didn’t care, though; her Uncle will just have to like Wei Ying. Even if he didn’t, he’d have to put up with her as Lan Zhan wasn’t changing her mind. Even if Wei Ying liked someone else, Lan WangJi knew deep down that she wouldn’t love anyone else ever.

This was why she had decided that she would arrange a preemptive meeting between Wei Ying and her family so that they knew that one day she’d be joining them, almost like making the first move in a chess game.

So that was how Wei Ying, on a Saturday, joined them for a whole day and left MianMian to look after her salon for the day. She was a vision as per usual, in a pink sundress today, her hair styled in a side ponytail with a big pink flower clipped there. The dress went past her knees and was paired with white heels and a belt. She also had a white cardigan to match the outfit. The only part that stayed that was true to her usual flare was the red in her hair. Even her usual red lips and nails were replaced by nice pink shades. 

Lan WangJi didn’t hate this version of Wei Ying either. In fact, she wanted to make a mess of that pink lipgloss dusted over those lips of hers. She wanted to steal her away and keep her here, but Wei Ying was a free spirit. She’d never want that. Still, it was nice of Wei Ying to make an effort to look more suited to her environment. In fact, she could tell the other was quite nervous, very different to how she usually was. How she was dressed made her look like she was from a nice, wealthy, upstanding family.

Wei Ying really knew how to dress for the occasion. Besides, she knew that Nie HuaiSang definitely had a hand in this; he always did. Still, she could not help but drink in the sight of her. Wei Ying was just a stunning girl. She wondered what sort of student she was at school, probably not the studious type; it didn’t seem like it was in her nature. 

“Lan Zhan!~” Wei Ying chirped as she skipped over in her heels with the stability that showed she was confident in them. Wei Ying was always wearing heels. According to HuaiSang and also Wen Qing, she easily chases down buses in them. It is honestly quite frightful, actually—almost too much power. The heels were not the chunky, wedged ones, no. They were the high thin types, ones that get stuck in drains in those stereotypical dramas. Lan WangJi herself preferred short heels. Kitten heels were the tallest she was willing to do. And her wedged heels had to be no more than one inch tall. She liked flats and blocked heels the most.

“Wei Ying.” she responded as she moved to greet the other. “Did you find this place alright?”

“Yes! But wow, Lan Zhan! They weren’t lying when they said that the Lans came from old money! It’s so big here!” she said dramatically. 

“Ah, somehow that familiar energetic voice could be none other than Miss Wei.” interrupted a pleasant voice that belonged to Lan XiChen, her older brother. 

“XiongZhang, you know Wei Ying?” she asked curiously. 

“Ah yes, Miss Wei was the first to cut off all my long hair.” Lan XiChen said, almost fondly. 

“So that’s why…” she began. 

“That’s why I asked if you Lans have an office nearby as you keep somehow finding my very out of the area salon.” Wei Ying chirped in response. “Oh! Before I forget! Here are some oranges. My Auntie always taught me not to visit a new friend’s home without a gift.” she beamed as she took the oranges out of her bag. 

“They look delicious. Thank you so much, Miss Wei.” Lan XiChen smiled. “Ah, Uncle is held up from a meeting. Why don’t you give Miss Wei a tour of our place, A-Zhan?” he continued with the annoying twinkle in his eyes that told her he knew about how she felt about Wei Ying. 

“Alright.” she replied before deciding to be brave and looping her arm around Wei Ying’s. “Let me show you around, Wei Ying.”

“Okay! Well, see you later, Lan-gege! Don’t eat all those oranges in the meantime! Leave some for A-Zhan, too~” she laughed before Lan Zhan led her away. 

She felt silly that she was jealous that Wei Ying had cut her brother’s hair before she had done hers. Just imagining Wei Ying giving her usual massages to him made her green with envy. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, but envy was never a rational thing. She had to quickly remind herself that her brother was only attracted to men. 

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“So, when did my brother come into the salon?” she found herself asking once it was just the two of them, strolling through the peaceful gardens with the flowing sounds of water in the background. 

“I think it was a few years ago? Lan Zhan, are you trying to test my memory here? You and I both know that your memory is so much better than mine!” Wei Ying replied in amusement. She couldn’t help but notice how their arms were still interlinked. This was good news, right? Then again, Wei Ying was the friendly type. 

“I think it was at least five years ago. It was a terribly rainy day, very different from the day you walked into my salon, Lan-jiejie.” Wei Ying said cheerfully.

She loved it when Wei Ying called her “Lan-jiejie”. To be fair, even “Lan Zhan” has her heart pounding. Wei Ying was just perfect. She couldn’t help but think about how perfect their height difference was too. 

“We had to lay so many towels on him because he was practically creating a puddle where he stood! That was when my salon was just starting out too! He really bit the bullet and went for the cut. It was a bit sad to see all that hair gone, but the people that got his hair as wigs must be so pleased.” she smiled. “Man, that was when we didn’t even have XuanYu or Xue Yang too.” she mused. “Time really flies.” 

“XiongZhang looked so pleased when he had his first haircut. Are you still his hairdresser currently?” she asked, not sure if she wanted an answer to that question. 

“Yeah, I am! It’s really funny coz you two never seem to ever have appointments matching up!” she mused. “Sometimes his friend, Nie MingJue, drops by, you know, HuaiSang’s older brother. I say friend, but you know what I mean, Lan Zhan.” Wei Ying replied with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Ai, the world has truly lost out though, two handsome men off in their own little world while young maidens weep their losses.” she sighed woefully as if she were one of them that lamented such a thing.

One thing Lan Zhan knew about Wei Ying was that she was a huge flirt. She honestly was. Wei Ying with her beautiful silver eyes, cherry lips and her sunny disposition. Wei Ying, who felt like the sun to her and left her shivering when she left. Did she know what she did to Lan WangJi? 

“Wei Ying needs to stop teasing others.” she said.

“Ai, Lan Zhan! You know I don’t mean anything when I admire HuaiSang’s brother from afar! Who can’t admire those muscles!~” she chirped. 

“Don’t say things you don’t mean.” she said abruptly, wincing inside as she realised that it came out more harshly than intended.

“You know that I never intend to hurt others with that teasing, right, Lan Zhan?” Wei Ying said quietly, a lot less jokily than usual.

“You may not intend to hurt others, but some may get their feelings burnt because they thought differently, Wei Ying.” she replied, this time hoping it didn’t come out as harsh as she had previously.

“Well, just know I would never play with your feelings, Lan Zhan.” Wei Ying said so earnestly that Lan WangJi believed her. How could she not after seeing those silver eyes so serious, unlike her usual chirpiness and teasing tone?

“I understand.” she replied as her heart fluttered with hope and longing.

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Wei Ying was pretty. She was short and had a permanent smiling face. However, despite the shortness, she was a tough girl. One wouldn’t think so for how petite she was. However, Lan WangJi got reminded of how deadly and mysterious of a person she could be when pushed.

It had been a good day. She was in good spirits as she was going to get her hair trimmed by Wei Ying. By now, she was addicted to the head massages the girl gave her. 

“Hairdressers and massage therapists are scary people, Lan Zhan. You need to be more careful around them. One moment, you’re all relaxed. Next moment they can choke you to death, and you don’t know what hit you.” Wei Ying had mused once to her.

She had taken it as a lighthearted musing; the petite girl always had such odd musings that she was used to it now. However, it would seem that day it wasn’t just musings. It was a harsh reminder.

The first sign that things were not right was when Wei Ying wasn’t there to greet her at the reception. Now that they were more familiar with each other, she always did. Lan WangJi could always tell it was her by the clacking of heels followed by the petite girl cheerfully launching herself at the other as she cheerfully called out, “Lan Zhan!” 

Yet, there was no clacking of heels today. No, it was oddly quiet. She didn’t know why she was doing this, but she found herself quietly sneaking around the corner of the salon. As she rounded the corner, she found Mo XuanYu nervously signalling for her to stay back.

“I have a client due to come in, so I would advise you to leave now.” she heard a voice, quiet yet in a flat, warning tone. It was Wei Ying. She had never heard Wei Ying sound like that before. In fact, her quiet voice scared her. Wei Ying was in trouble.

“Is that meant to be a threat, babe? I’ll leave when you give me your phone number, cutie.” sneered a rather sleazy and greasy voice. It made the taller girl’s blood boil. Oh, she was going to pound him to pieces now.

However, before she could do such a thing, she heard a loud cry of pain before the man crashed against the wall. It had happened so fast. One minute the man had his palms pressed against the wall while he loomed over her, then the next minute, he was slumped against the wall. If it weren’t for her trained eyes, she would have missed Wei Ying kicking her leg up and into the man’s balls before headbutting him so that he was now slumped down on the ground, completely out cold.

“Yes! Now stomp on him with your heels, Da-jie!” cried the disturbing excited voice of Xue Yang.

“YangYang,” Wei Ying said, a smile on her face but danger in her voice. “I think that’s enough violence for today. Now go into the kitchen. Wen Ning has an egg boiled for that awful bruise you got there.” she said.

Xue Yang, who looked rather banged up, let out a huff of protest before walking into the kitchen, grumbling, “You’re no fun!” under his breath before making himself scarce.

“Ah, Lan Zhan! Punctual as usual!” Wei Ying chirped, returning to her normal self. The murder in her eyes disappearing with a blink. “I’m sorry about the mess. Just give me a moment to tidy up, alright?” she laughed before pulling the unconscious man with ease and dragging his body outside.

She was in awe that day. 

The man hadn’t been a skinny person, no. He was tall, strong and buff. Someone you would think twice about getting into a fistfight with.

“The usual for you?” she had chirped once she returned.

“Wei Ying.” She began.

“Don’t worry! MingJue-ge will be here in a minute to get rid of him! HuaiSang rang him when he started becoming trouble. Stupid man doesn’t know when to quit! He’s been asking me out for months now! I guess he finally got tired of being rejected!” she laughed.

She felt relieved but sighed. “Dangerous.” she said.

“Mm, dangerous.” grinned Wei Ying with a cheeky glint in her eyes.

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It would seem that Lan WangJi would get to witness a second glimpse of how dangerous Wei Ying could be. Wei Ying, in all her five foot one glory, was apparently, trained in fighting.

“I needed to learn self-defence, Lan-jiejie. Could you blame me, though? Men can be really annoying.” she had remarked when Lan Zhan had asked her about it.

She wasn’t wrong.

She had learnt that Wei Ying was the type to protect others over herself. That day when she had knocked the man out cold was because that man was getting too close for her liking. Xue Yang, who was oddly protective of Wei Ying, had put himself in between them and started threatening the man. When the man made a move to approach Wei Ying, Xue Yang stood his ground, and that was how he had gotten banged up that day. He was a good fighter, but he was still young. Had experience but just not at the level as Wei Ying yet. So basically, she had allowed the man to drop his guard, purposefully lulling him into the false sense of security that he was in control of the situation. When in reality, Wei Ying had led him right into her trap. It was a good thing she didn’t decide to pursue being an assassin; she would have been quite good at that.

When she thought back to that day, it would seem that Mo XuanYu was asking her to stand back, not in concern for her. More like in concern that it would distract Wei Ying. It would make sense since how normal the two teens acted afterwards suggested that it was something that happened often enough for them not to be phased.

She had entered the salon as she normally would that day. But when there was no Wei Ying to greet her, she was immediately bothered. Setting the food aside, she rounded the corner to see a face she had wanted to punch for a long time.

“Wei Ying, why aren’t you talking to me?” teased an arrogant voice paired with an arrogant face. He had what the public nicknamed ‘the fuckboy haircut’. His hair was badly bleached blonde, an orange and yellow mess in between. “You used to be so talkative back at school. In fact, the teachers never stopped calling you to shut up!” he continued. “But look at you now! I thought you were pretty back in the day, but you’ve gotten so sexy.” he said greasily, causing the taller female the urge to punch him in the face.

“I have nothing to say to you, Wen Chao. I don’t know why you’re here, but I refuse to serve you.” Wei Ying replied cooly, her eyes as cold as ice. There was that murderous intent in her eyes again.

“Oh, come on, Wei Ying. Don’t be like that. It’s all in the past now!” Wen Chao mused. “If you do my hair, my father can set up a good deal with, I’m sure you’d want to step back up to the ladder with the rest of us.” he mused. “Don’t you want to see your siblings again?” he laughed.

“Can it.” Wei Ying replied shortly, still keeping that cool composure she had.

There was a lag in Wen Chao’s reaction, a surprise. It would seem that perhaps Wei Ying had acted negatively to comments about her siblings in the past. But it would seem that Wei Ying wasn’t so easily swayed by his words now.

It was weird to know that they knew each other at some point. She didn’t know what to do. In a way, she could only watch the scene unfold. In the background, she could see a struggling Mo XuanYu, who was holding back a fuming Xue Yang, who was always ready to fight. Next to them was MianMian as well as Wen Ning, who was also holding Xue Yang back with Mo XuanYu. 

“Do you think that we’re still high schoolers, Wen Chao?” Wei Ying said, cutting through the tension in the air. “You don’t have anything to hold above my head. Sure, you may be the reason why I lost my home back then, but maybe I should thank you.” she replied as she walked around him, eyeing him with her cold eyes. Her heels were high, thin and sharp looking. 

The perfect type to stab someone with, her mind interjected. She was sure Xue Yang’s energy was affecting her now.

“If I didn’t lose my home, I wouldn’t have my success now, would I?” she smiled. It wasn’t a warm smile, though. It was one that left you cold, afraid. One that mirrored the bitter cold of winter where no greenery could grow.

“You could thank me by doing my hair, Wei Ying. I’ve seen the amazing work you do.” Wen Chao replied, moving closer to her. “Come on, aren’t you tempted by the prospect even a little bit?”

“Be indebted to the main branch of the Wens?” she scoffed. “No thanks. Now leave before my very trusty friend throws you out.” she continued as Wen Ning, who had originally been holding Xue Yang back, stalked forward, looking intimidating for the first time.

There was a laugh, an amused one. 

“Ah, I see you’re still friends with my cousins! How funny! I’m surprised, Wei Ying. After all, they’re the true reason why you lost your home!” he scoffed.

“They weren’t the ones that made me lose my home. I chose my path and stuck with it.” she replied. “This is my final warning. If you don’t get out, I’m going to call the police.” Wei Ying said.

“Fine, fine! I’ll just write a bad review about how you so blatantly refused me service!” Wen Chao mused.

“One bad review isn’t going to bother me, Wen Chao. But sure, if you want to be a Karen about it, go for it.” Wei Ying replied disinterestedly as she examined her nails.

Wen Chao grumbled, turning his heel, now looking amused when he saw Lan WangJi there.

“Ah! So it’s true! The high and mighty Lan WangJi, with her old ways, cut her hair short! Like a boy’s too!” he sneered. “Though, I think you owe me one, Lan Wangji. If I didn’t cook up that little scheme to have someone pretend to be interested in you, then break your heart, you wouldn’t have done something so life-changing for yourself, right?” he sneered.

She was going to say something, to retort the other. However, there was a horrible cracking noise before she could, followed by Wen Chao falling onto the ground. She over at Wei Ying and made the instant connection. Wei Ying had punched him out cold.

“Ai, I was doing so well too.” Wei Ying lamented.

“Are you alright, Lan Zhan? Ignore his stupid words, okay? He’s always been an asshole like this.” she said flatly. 

Behind her, MianMian and Mo XuanYu had let go of Xue Yang. Upon being released, the unruly teen began to walk toward them. Wei Ying just nonchalantly walked closer to Lan Zhan, treating Wen Chao’s unconscious form like it was the floor. He was going to feel that when he woke up. At least Xue Yang got his wish for Wei Ying to step on a sleaze bag.

“No more physical injuries to him, alright?” Wei Ying turned her head and said firmly to the teen.

“No more physical injuries~” Xue Yang replied gleefully.

She almost pitied Wen Chao.

“Come on, let’s go outside for some fresh air, Lan Zhan.” Wei Ying smiled.

“Mm.” she replied.

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“We used to go to the same school.” Wei Ying began as she uncorked the bottle of wine she had just bought. Usually, she wouldn’t be the type to condone drinking while you were still on the job, but unwanted memories from the past could be given some lenience. “He was also an asshole. The same arrogant fool he still is today.” she continued. “But I was also a fool back in the day, an arrogant kid. I just thought that standing up to him was the right thing to do. I didn’t think about the consequences.” she mused as she began drinking out of the bottle.

“Wen Qing and Wen Ning were always so great. I’ve known them for a long time. Unfortunately, because they’re a distant family of the Wens, Wen RuoHan still had a say in their education. He was threatening to cut off their funding, particularly Wen Ning’s, because he showed Wen Chao up at archery.” she said. “I didn’t think it was fair, stuck by them, made my support towards them known.” she carried on as she took another sip of the bottle.

“It’s really funny though, you know? When you’re an orphan adopted into a family, you’re adopted until you do something against the grain, then suddenly, your entire family gets dragged into it.” she said with a dry laugh. “My Aunt was not pleased with it, and well, for my sweet sixteen, I was gifted my freedom. And well, alone and sixteen, with a small duffle bag of things, I happened upon a salon that was looking for an apprentice, and that was my story.” she mused.

“Wei Ying.” she said, feeling upset and angry. She wanted to storm in and use Wen Chao as a punching bag. However, a pair of hands came into view and took hers in them.

“Silly, jiejie.” Wei Ying smiled her real smile this time. “You don’t need to get so upset on my behalf. I’m tough, you know. I paved my own way, took a risk and opened my own salon when I was eighteen.” she beamed. “Now I have two adorable juniors that I can boss around, and we have MingJue-ge’s protection because his brother works here! It’s not so bad!” she said.

“As long as Wei Ying isn’t hurt.” she said as she switched their hands around so that she was the one holding Wei Ying’s hands now.

“His words can’t hurt me.” Wei Ying beamed, the sun returning once more. “Now, let’s go make sure Xue Yang hasn’t murdered him, hm?” she mused.

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“No more physical injuries to him.” Xue Yang gleefully said when they both entered the salon again.

Wen Chao was tied to a salon chair. Xue Yang had drawn all over his face with what she presumed was permanent marker. She was glad the teen was never allowed to go the full way.

“I guess I owe you candy for a whole month.” Wei Ying beamed as she made her way across. “Right, I better get ready to serve our client. He’s probably going to wake up soon.” she continued ominously.

As if reading her mind, Xue Yang came over with the clippers and handed them over to Wei Ying. Just as they had everything ready, Wen Chao’s unconscious form stirred, following moans of pain and confusion.

“Nice to see you back with us.” Wei Ying said in a sickly sweet tone. “It’s your lucky day, sir. You’re getting your hair done by me!” she chirped.

“Wait! Wei Ying! What is that you’re holding?!” cried Wen Chao, terrified and realising he was in trouble.

“This one is for Wen Qing and Wen Ning!” she cried as she carelessly buzzed off a piece of his hair, causing him to cry out in fear. “This next one is for Lan Zhan!” she mused as she buzzed off more of his hair haphazardly. 

“And this one is for being pervert towards da-jie!” Xue Yang chimed in with the trimmers and began destroying his hair too.

Lan WangJi hung back and watched the terrible two, extremely glad that she had not incurred their wrath in any way. When they had a common goal or enemy in mind, the Wei Ying, Xue Yang tag team was too frightening and powerful.

In the end, Wei Ying had gotten bored and left Xue Yang to do the finishing touches. Instead, she skipped over to Lan WangJi, grabbing her hand. “The lunch you brought is cold. Let’s go get something nice for everyone, hm?” she said sweetly and started skipping out of the salon with her in tow.

Lan WangJi was convinced that she would never have a normal heartbeat around Wei Ying.

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After the incident, Wen Chao had left the salon with bald patches left there from Xue Yang and Wei Ying’s bout of torture. He left, ashamed but angered, threatening to get his Father to come after them. 

Wei Ying had laughed his threats off, stating that there was CCTV all around to record his threats and his harassment beforehand, audio included. As much as Lan WangJi knew that Wei Ying would make good on her threats if Wen Chao tried anything, she didn’t want it to just come to that. Besides, Wen Chao had dared to be a sleaze bag with Wei Ying and also dared to threaten her. She wasn’t going to just let it go. Not to mention, it was implied that Wei Ying had lost her home because of him and his father. She decided that she needed to get to the bottom of this. 

So, as soon as she got home, she informed her brother that it was about time they stopped letting the Wens parade around as if they were the only people that mattered.

Lan XiChen had smiled at her with a look of mystery in his eyes and asked her what spurred such a reaction. She casually mentioned that it was just a bad run-in with him, and also, she felt like there should be enough victims of theirs that if they all came forward, it would end them. It wasn’t surprising. After all, the Wens have been known for their underhanded methods, the abuse of their staff, the illegal ways they obtained staff and not to mention, the ways they cut corners around their business deals. They had wronged many to carry on their success and keep their name in the world. 

Then, she set about trying to find out about the situation with Wei Ying. Sure, Wei Ying had told her, but she knew it was the incredibly abbreviated version. She could see it in her eyes when she told her that it had hurt her more than anything, and she had lost plenty that day when her Aunt kicked her out. So, without further ado, she messaged HuaiSang, asking about Wei Ying’s brother. 

HuaiSang surprisingly had asked her to meet up at her residence. She figured it was something important as he rarely ever invited her over. They weren’t close in the slightest. It always struck her as strange how her brother and Nie HuaiSang’s brother were close, yet, her and HuaiSang’s relationship was non-existent. In fact, she knew that the other was afraid of her. It wasn’t a secret that many were scared of or intimidated by her. This was why Wen Chao went the cowardly route instead of facing her head-on. She was going to let it pass, but he had threatened Wei Ying. So now he had to go. 

As she sat down opposite Nie HuaiSang, she could tell the other was quite nervous but prepared for the chat. There was a folder on the table next to him, and tea was served.

“It’s a long story.” he began.

“I figured it would be.” she replied. “Wei Ying wasn’t very forthcoming with the information.” 

“She wouldn’t be the type to be. She always makes it sound like it was such a little thing, but it wasn’t.” he said. “I’ve known her since we were young. We went to the same school and unfortunately have had to deal with Wen Chao almost our entire lives.” he said. “The Jiang family adopted her; I’m sure you’ve heard of them. They run that very famous restaurant on a boat?”

“Yes, I’m aware. I’ve eaten there quite a few times before.” she replied. A lot of her childhood memories were formed there. Her Uncle took her often in the past as she liked eating and watching the water. She couldn’t believe that they could have passed each other, even brushed elbows when they were young without knowing.

“She was quite young when they took her in as Mr. Jiang was close friends with her parents. I’m surprised you haven’t met her in passing as she used to help out on the boat to earn her keep. Madame Yu wasn’t exactly fond of her but tolerated her enough. She used to pit her brother, Jiang WanYin, against her too. Luckily, he’s grown past it now, but it was pretty tense back in the day.” HuaiSang said.

“He’s the one that takes her photos on her Kamera feed, is that correct?” she asked, remembering that prior conversation.

“Yes, you are correct. She contacts her brother and sister often; they’re close. You probably didn’t come across them as often as they didn't go to the same schools as you.” he said. “Honestly, I think you would have hated Wei Ying if you attended the same school as her. She’s not exactly your model student.” he laughed. “Your Uncle certainly would have hated her; she was the type of student that never seemed like she was listening but always got the highest grades in our class. She was also the type to question everything, too inquisitive. It caused a lot of tension between her and her brother as Madame Yu expected the best from her son, you get the gist.” he continued.

“As you know, she was good friends with the Wen siblings. They’re not part of the family's main branch, but there had been an ongoing disagreement between them and Wen RuoHan. It was over one of his business deals, the person colluding with him was arrested and named Wen RuoHan in the mess, and well, he pushed the blame onto Wen Qing’s Uncle and Aunt. They ended up being wrongfully charged, and their son was left in the care of Wen Qing and Wen Ning. I don’t think you’ve met him yet, but Wei Ying absolutely adores him, she’s wanted to adopt him forever, and he adores her. He currently lives with his Grandmother as Wei Ying is still trying to find a stable situation before she decides to adopt him.” 

It was a rather sweet thing to know about. She decided she’ll wait for Wei Ying to introduce the kid to her. She didn’t want to push it, and it felt wrong to ask her after getting the information from HuaiSang, as it seemed like she was trying to dig up dirt on her background.

“I will wait for Wei Ying to tell me about him.” she replied.

“It’s probably best that way anyway.” HuaiSang said.

There was a pause where both of them had taken a sip or two of their tea.

“How did Wei Ying end up getting kicked out of the Jiang residence? She told me she lost her home on the day of her birthday.” she said after a while.

“It’s true, she did. Da-ge and I offered our home to her, but she didn’t want to burden us with it.” he said. “I think she was also worried that Wen RuoHan would come after us for colluding with her.” he continued. “Basically, she had always disagreed with how the Wens operated. She, of course, had to deal with them often as they liked to buy out the spaces on the boat for their work dos. And of course, that also meant that Madame Yu, despite not liking them herself, had to put up with them as they brought good business.” he said as he pulled a sheet of paper out of the folder and set it down on the table in front of her.

It was an article detailing that the Jiang restaurant was so good that even Wen RuoHan himself went to it often. When she looked closer, she noticed that in the photo that was taken, Wei Ying was actually in the photo, holding a serving tray, a smile on her face. She looked to be about in her earlier teens then. Even then, she wore a red ribbon in her hair.

“Da-ge always suspected them, and so did XiChen-ge. Actually, now that I think of it, it’s very strange that XiChen-ge’s never mentioned Wei Ying to you. He’s known her for a while now since she used to visit our residence all the time.” Nie HuaiSang remarked. “Talk about fate just passing you two by.” 

So her brother had known Wei Ying for much longer. No wonder why he seemed so oddly familiar with her, and she was so relaxed around him that day when she had visited their home.

“Anyway, Da-ge was still very hung up on our father’s death. It was said it was an accident, but he absolutely refused to believe this. XiChen-ge felt so very much too. Wei Ying had known about this too since it was big news back when he died, and she had felt that something suspicious had happened as well. She and Da-ge always suspected Wen RuoHan had something to do with it. This topic of conversation came up one day between all of us, and Wei Ying had offered an idea.” he said. “Da-ge and XiChen-ge were against it at first since it was risky and would put her directly into the line of fire if anything were to come of it. In the end, she convinced them both that it would be fine and she wouldn’t get too close.” he continued. “Wei Ying was already working at the restaurant then, and she suggested that she eavesdrop on conversations and also tried to get some gossip off of Wen members or their business partners whenever their boss wasn’t there. You know how she is. She’s very good at getting people chatting.” 

She let out a soft hum of agreement.

“So, she did that. In the process, she even ‘befriended’ Wen Chao.” HuaiSang mused. “Well, he saw her as a friend. She was disgusted with his presence constantly. I feel like if she didn’t speak out against Wen RuoHan’s decision in cutting off Wen Qing and Wen Ning, he might have even offered her a place in his business. Wei Ying may have a very strong strength of justice, but she also knew she had to be clever since her family could be in danger.” he said. “Actually, you know, it’s very strange you two never met since you both attended those competitions. You know the ones that were always held when it came to archery and swordplay?” he asked. 

Now that she thought about it, the name “Wei WuXian” always sounded very familiar to her. She could now place it in her mind. Wei WuXian had always been quite high up in the competition winners. She was sure that at some point, she even stood next to her when they received their awards. But then, after she had hit sixteen, Wei WuXian disappeared without a trace.

“I believe I do recognise her courtesy name. I was unaware of who she was back then, though.” she replied.

“Well, it certainly didn’t help that you two went to separate schools, and besides, Madame Yu was always a bit weird about her accepting her medals or awards, so as soon as she got them, she would usher her away. Of course, those kinds of winnings didn’t pass Wen RuoHan by. So, you can imagine why he would have his eye on Wei Ying.” he said.

“Yes, I can imagine. He wouldn’t like it either that someone was besting his sons.” she replied, knowing that it was the reason why Wen Chao even made it his personal goal to be a thorn at her side.

“Yeah, that was the main issue, but when his son supposedly ‘befriended’ her, he decided differently. He offered to fund her higher education.” Nie HuaiSang said. “It was a mess, honestly, and she was in far too deep at that point.” he explained. “Da-ge and XiChen-ge had wanted her to stop spying on their behalf, but it wasn’t like you could just drop being friendly with the Wens overnight. But I guess in a way, the whole situation with Wen Qing and Wen Ning’s cousin had made Wei Ying’s moral compass go haywire and well, she had voiced her displeasure and disagreement with the situation. Their cousin was only a toddler at that point too. I think that’s what really bothered Wei Ying a lot, that he could do that to members of his own family.” he said.

“When Wei Ying chose to stand on Wen Qing and Wen Ning’s side over the issue, voicing her displeasure against Wen RuoHan’s decision to incriminate innocent people and also making a toddler lose his parents, he wasn’t pleased. That was why he decided to cut Wen Qing and Wen Ning’s education off as well. I don’t know whether it was because Wen Qing felt braver because Wei Ying was willing to speak up, but I was surprised that the side family kicked up so much fuss. Who knows, though, teenagers are stupid. And because Wei Ying had spoken up so loudly against him twice, Wen RuoHan was extremely displeased.” Nie HuaiSang sighed.

"Wei Ying told me that he wasn't pleased that Wen Ning performed better than Wen Chao in the competition." she said.

"Ah yes, that was also the issue. I believe that added to his decision." he replied, confirming the story Wei Ying had told her.

“Of course, Wen Chao wasn’t pleased. I think he’s always had a slight crush on Wei Ying. I think her turning down every single one of his advances made it a challenge or something for him. But when she chose to stand on his cousins’ side rather than his father’s side, he was pretty livid. And that was when he sent his lackeys to set the Jiang’s restaurant on fire.” he said. “Of course, Madame Yu was enraged about it, and that was why Wei Ying was kicked out. I think the only good thing to come out of it was that Wei Ying’s spying was never actually discovered. To this day, we still have all the little strands of evidence, but they were only strands. It just wasn’t enough to incriminate them.” he said. “But after she was kicked out, Wei WuXian completely vanished from the face of the earth. Well, to the public anyway. She also vanished from her siblings’ life for a good while until Jiang-xiong accidentally wandered into her hair salon one day. Seriously, how the right people accidentally find her hair salon is amazing.” he mused. 

“Did she vanish from everyone’s lives then?” she asked, feeling sad that at one point, Wei Ying had nothing in her life.

“We kept in contact, but she had to write letters at points because she couldn’t afford to keep her phone bill. But she got lucky and got popular amongst clients of the salon she took an apprenticeship up with. So much so that she could afford to get a better place to live with the Wen siblings. I’m glad she at least had them to look out for her. You know how she is. She’s a glutton but often forgets to eat.” he said.

“But why would Wen RuoHan just spare people that opposed him? I’m surprised that he didn’t go after Wei Ying and the side family.” she said.

It was true. She would have thought that he would have just gone and wiped out all of them, he certainly had the connections to snuff out a few loose ends, and they were loose ends that can cause a gaping hole if not taken care of.

“The public’s eyes were on him at that point. After what Wen Chao did, everyone became very suspicious of them, and they had to lay low. So, I think Wei Ying and the side family got lucky, and they’ve been keeping a pretty low profile since, so he’s never actually found them, well, until our salon made it into the public eye through you.” he said.

“I didn’t think it through. I’ve put Wei Ying and you all in danger, allow me to apologise.” she said. Her head was spinning from all the information. It was odd to know that her brother had been behind such a big thing and never thought to tell her. She felt a bit left out, to be quite honest.

“It’s fine. Someone would have eventually found us anyway, Wei Ying herself was making a name anyway, and plus, I post my workings online, so it’s not like Wen Chao wouldn’t have eventually found us.” he said. "From how he was acting when he found her in the salon, it was as if he felt that she was the one that got away." he said. 

"Still, I feel like I should have thought it through. That was careless of me." she said.

“It’s fine.” he replied. "You were probably too happy and too caught up and enchanted by her." he mused as he placed the folder in front of her. Hearing these words, the tips of her ears got hot. “I’ll give you a moment to read over these since you wanted to know about her more, and I doubt she’d ever tell you honestly.” he said. 

“Why are you willing to tell me then?” she asked him.

“I don’t know. Maybe I feel like you may be able to look after her.” he said before getting up and leaving the room.

There were so many articles, and then there were photos of them together. Wei Ying smiling as she had ice cream with HuaiSang. There was another one where she looked like she was trying to drag HuaiSang to practice what looked like the sword with her. The next photo was of her training with Nie MingJue. Nie HuaiSang wasn’t kidding when he said they’ve known each other for a long time. She was glad Wei Ying had such a friend for so long. 

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In the end, she was glad she had had this meeting with Nie HuaiSang. She was glad to know more about Wei Ying and find out more about her knowing that she probably wouldn’t have otherwise known. Listening to Nie HuaiSang speak about Wei Ying’s life made her own life suddenly sound incredibly dull, like she hadn’t lived. She had had a stable life, one that was all set up. Their family had come from ‘old money’, as they put it. They had always had their life set up. There was never a moment where the tide felt like it was changing. 

She felt incredibly boring, incredibly mundane. The most exciting thing she’s done was have her hair cut short, then it was followed by her telling her Uncle that she didn’t like men. She realised that the two brave things she had done in her life were when she knew Wei Ying. Heck, it was Wei Ying who had given her a new, fresh start to her life, in a way. If she hadn’t wandered into her salon, she might not have been so brave to want it cut. Wei Ying was the one to push the final decision. 

The life that Wei Ying led was seen by many as disorganised and with no future plan, but Lan WangJi liked that, no, loved that. She wondered what Wei Ying felt about her. From how Nie HuaiSang was so willing to tell her about Wei Ying’s past, could it be that it was his blessing in disguise?

Well, she’ll have to wait and see. 

Today was an enlightening day. It also brought back some nostalgia of how her brother used to bring her over to the Nie residence and hope that HuaiSang and her could be the firmest of friends. Unfortunately, Lan XiChen never got to live out that dream and hope, but in a way, he ended up getting it in a weird way as Wei Ying was technically part of this family now.

She wondered if the other felt the same.

Did Wei Ying feel crazy about her too? Did Wei Ying think about her at night too? Did she feel just as excited whenever a text from her arrived?

Even Lan XiChen had commented how happy she was now. He was always one that could read her so easily, and now, there was Wei Ying. She could read her too, told her she was funny the first time they met. Wei Ying, who hung out with her and helped fill the space when she didn’t start a conversation. It was almost like they were perfect for each other. She could barely believe how well they got along with each other and how Wei Ying had carried on meeting her at cafés after their initial meeting.

They had always said she was boring, aloof and stiff — an ice block, an ice queen. But Wei Ying beamed at her, told her she was pretty, that she was funny, said she was interesting.

“Ai, Lan Zhan. How do you not have more friends asking to hang out with you? You’re so interesting!” Wei Ying had commented one day.

“I’ve been told I’m boring, too stiff.” she had replied.

“Perhaps younger me might have thought that of you, but getting to know you now, I think you’re really fun in your own way, and besides, it’s nice and relaxing to be with you. Besides, you’re so kind, honestly. I can tell that since from your videos, it’s clear how much your bunnies love you, and if prey animals can love you so much, then you must be a good person!” she had chirped.

Her heart almost gave out.

What Lan Zhan wanted to tell her that day was that she was kind too. That she was fun, exciting, carefree. She wanted to tell her that she was loved and adored, that she felt lucky to have found a friend in her. But Lan WangJi hadn’t been great at words even from her youth, so she had left it all unsaid.

In the end, Nie MingJue had told her to visit again, and Nie HuaiSang had passed a small USB stick onto her and told her to pass it on to her brother for them. He had told her that it was something their brothers were working on, but HuaiSang was more tech-savvy than his older brother. When he mentioned ‘something they were working on’, she could only presume that they were still working behind the scenes gathering dirt on the Wens.

She remembered that Nie HuaiSang had mentioned that it was a good time that this all happened, whatever that meant. She decided that it was best to just go home and get some shut-eye. It had been a rather long day with curveballs and confusion. Just knowing that Wei Ying and her had so many missed chances with each other was mind-blowing. How she had always existed around her, just not near her, was crazy. However, she was grateful that their paths finally crossed over. Yes, she was so glad that Wei Ying and her had met.

She was glad to make a friend like Wei Ying. Now that she knew more about her, all she wanted to do was cherish her, to make sure she ate and slept enough.

“She pushes herself too much.” Nie HuaiSang had said once, and Wen Qing had mirrored the phrase too.

It was the truth. She was always up doing something. She wondered if she was doing well money-wise. She knew that it wasn’t easy to earn your keep when going solo with no one to back you up sometimes. She also wondered if Wei Ying was getting enough rest, she always seemed to be up and going, but she wondered if she ever stopped to slow down. She wanted to ask Wei Ying all these things, wanted to make her take a break, but she didn’t feel like it was quite her place to do so yet, to ask her to slow down and take her time.

Were they even close?

It almost felt wrong for her to assume they were close since they had known each other for only a year maximum. But she felt like it was a natural friendship between the two like they should have known each other forever, grown up together. Her mind couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like if they had met earlier, what would it have been like if her brother had introduced them to each other earlier or maybe if she had accepted the invites to visit the Nie residence along with her brother. Perhaps it would have turned different. Perhaps Wei Ying would have never ended up having to be alone or have hardship for a while.

Wei Ying had made it sound like losing her home wasn’t so bad and that she quickly bounced back. Nie HuaiSang had made it sound like that, too, in a way. However, Lan WangJi knew this wasn’t the case. It must have been hard leaving home so suddenly, on your birthday too. Going from suddenly having a home then suddenly nothing, no contact with those she loved. She knew that it must have hurt her a lot more than she let it be known, as she barely talked about her siblings, her past. It was like she was trying to lock it away. It made her feel sad.

She wondered how she was going to look at Wei Ying without feeling sadness when she saw her next.

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Lan WangJi didn’t have to wonder for long for the next day. She had breakfast, then was told by her brother afterwards that they had a visitor today and that she may not want to hide away like she always did when there were visitors.

It was all kept in mystery until it came late morning, and a familiar figure in red appeared up the steps of their residence. Wei Ying had her hair split into two braids today, a blouse with a rounded collar with a red bow at the front. Below, she wore a high waisted past the knee length flared outskirt. She looked so sweet and grown-up at the same time. It was an interesting contrast.

“Good morning, Mr. Lan, Lan Zhan.” Wei Ying smiled as she walked toward them.

“Good morning, Miss Wei.” Lan XiChen replied, a smile on his face. “Please, come and sit down. The tea is ready.” he said.

Now that she knew their relationship, she felt odd about them addressing each other so formally. Surely, they wouldn’t be doing so considering that Wei Ying addressed Nie MingJue by ‘MingJue-ge’. She almost wanted to say something but didn’t want to make it seem like she had been digging into Wei Ying’s past like a security check. 

Wei Ying had a different aura around her today. She wasn’t her usual sunny self. There was something that sparkled less, almost dulled and perhaps a bit worried. She couldn’t help but wonder why she felt like that and why she wouldn’t have told her in advance that she was visiting.

“It’s been a good week, Miss Wei. A-Zhan has been speaking of finally bringing the Wens’ misdeeds to light and not to mention, came bearing some information yesterday from the Nie household.” Lan XiChen said.

At his words, the sombre aura around Wei Ying lightened a bit. She certainly looked surprised but quickly composed herself.

“I’ve brought the final parts of the information.” she said as she set another USB on the table. “I believe this is all we need now. There’s enough evidence finally.” she smiled. “Including evidence of the arson incident, justice can finally happen.” she said with a smile on her face, one that looked like relief, like a weight had been lifted off of her.

“I wasn’t aware that Lan Zhan knew of what you were doing, Mr. Lan.” Wei Ying said, still oddly stiff and formal. “If I had, I would have let her know and not been so secretive about it.” she continued.

“A-Zhan didn’t. Don’t worry, A-Xian. I only decided that she should attend today because she has shown interest in taking down the Wens, and I believe her visit yesterday to A-Sang has filled her in on what we were aiming to do.” her brother said, being the first one to drop the stiffly formal tones.

“Ah, I see.” Wei Ying replied. “I hope HuaiSang has filled you in on what happened.” she said.

“He has. He’s told me a few things about your past.” Lan Zhan replied, thinking that Wei Ying was referring to her history.

“Oh, I see.” Wei Ying said a smile on her face. However, her eyes were not smiling. “I guess he hasn’t told you much about me presently then.” she said.

“I don’t believe so, no.” she replied, unsure of what to say.

“Well, I’ll fill you in, Lan Zhan.” Wei Ying said. “My salon wasn’t just a salon.” she said simply. “The high-quality CCTV and sound recording are for spying, for taking down the right information.” she said. “It’s amazing what people tell you when they get their hair done, how much they reveal about themselves. Plenty of famous people or people who had connections with the Wens have come in through our doors. Luckily, this time people were willing to reveal a lot more, so we’re here at this final stage.” she said.

“A-Xian has worked rather hard, so you should give yourself some praise.” Lan XiChen said kindly.

“I was lucky to have people to help me.” she said. “I’m just glad we finally have everything in place.” she smiled. “And it was at a good time too since the past came knocking.” she continued.

“The past?” Lan XiChen said, concern in his eyes.

“HuaiSang didn’t let you know that Wen Chao found us the other day?” she asked.

“No, he didn’t mention it, and A-Zhan didn’t tell me either when she said she was felt like we should take down the Wens.” Lan XiChen replied.

“Oh, I see.” Wei Ying said quietly, unlike her normal self.

“Why don’t you stay for dinner, A-Xian? I’m sure A-Zhan would love it.” Lan XiChen asked.

“Ah, I’ll have to decline, unfortunately, XiChen-ge.” Wei Ying said. “HuaiSang and I were going to meet up for some drinks after this.” she said. “But, how about another time? We can have a celebratory meal, hm?” she said, the usual cheerful in her voice returned a bit, closer to the Wei Ying she had known.

“Of course.” her brother replied.

“Ah, I must go.” she said as she got ready to leave.

“Wei Ying, I’ll walk you out.” Lan Zhan said quickly, not wanting to see Wei Ying leave so quickly, wanting to spend more time with her.

“Okay.” Wei Ying beamed. 

She was glad that the Lan residence was a long walk as she had more time to spend with the other. As the walk went on, Wei Ying had returned to her cheerful self, as if she wasn’t stiff and aloof just a few moments ago. She decided that she liked this version of Wei Ying best. She should always have a smile on her face. She needed to let Wei Ying know that she would be there for her no matter what.

“Wei Ying, Nie HuaiSang informed me about the whole situation with Wen Chao.” she said.

Suddenly, the mood dropped. She could see the smile on her face fade.

“Oh, did he?” she asked, a forced smile on her face.

“Yes, he told me everything.” she replied.

“Well, I’m glad you know about everything, Lan Zhan.” she replied with the same forced smile. “Well, there’s my ride there. I’ll see you around, Lan Zhan.” she said.

“See you around, Wei Ying.” she replied, hating that she couldn’t get the strength to push the issue, hating that she wasn’t brave enough to get closer to Wei Ying. She wished she would stop dancing around the other.

She watched her get into the car and stayed watching until the car disappeared out of their drive altogether.

  ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎

Wei Ying had always counted herself as lucky, lucky that she had found an open door despite it feeling like all doors were shut on her back then when she was thrown out into the streets with a small duffle of clothes. She also felt lucky that she was able to adapt so easily as salon life was long and can be tiring, but it was worth it.

When she had opened up her salon, Nie HuaiSang had put her back in touch with Lan XiChen. She hadn’t lied in the sense that it had been pouring that day, and he was drenched. Upon hearing the news, Lan XiChen had arrived at her salon in a whirlwind of speed. And within that whirlwind, he had convinced her to cut his hair as a celebration and a second chance at what they were trying to do before.

She felt lucky that she had found an elder brother in both Lan XiChen and also Nie MingJue when she had to abandon her own younger brother. She often wondered how he was. It was painful for her to have just up and left that day, but it was for the best. She had trodden in far too deep, and she had deserved to be thrown out as she had massively messed up. Befriending someone like Wen Chao, even if it was on a fake basis, was reprehensible and stupid. She had put the Jiangs in danger by doing so, caused them to lose their main business. It was lucky that they managed to regain it after that awful loss. She had thought that Jiang Cheng would never forgive her. She knew that A-Jie would, but she couldn’t face her.

She missed out on many things when she left that day. She missed the crazy pinnacle moment when Jiang Cheng decided to go against his mother, deciding to go the photographer route instead of the business route she had wanted for him and pretty much set him up on the path for it. She hadn’t found out until one day. He entered her salon out of the blue. She had to admit. She hadn’t reacted well, much like a deer caught in the headlights. Her first instinct was to want to run. However, Jiang Cheng had been the first one to speak up.

“I’m not angry at you and don’t blame you.” he had said.

It was amazing how just a few of those words could have her just feeling better instantly. Of course, it was still rocky and awkward. It was always like that with the both of them. He had complimented her on the decoration, and they exchanged contact information as well as Kamera accounts. Her private one was locked, of course. The salon she ran came with risks, after all.

From there on, she reconnected with Jiang YanLi. She was glad to know that the restaurant had been doing well and now Jiang YanLi had taken it over. She didn’t ask too much about whether the Wens visited the establishment anymore.

So things moved on like that. The thing was, her salon was a normal salon like any other, except neither of her juniors were hired the normal way. It was actually Lan XiChen who had asked if she wanted to have extra help. That was how Xue Yang and then eventually Mo XuanYu was added to her salon. MianMian was also someone that was helping out. She was way too happy to help out as Wen Chao had personally aggravated and angered her too. It was strange how they all were working in this space, mostly through one common goal, but eventually, they became a weird family, much like how Wen Qing and Wen Ning, along with the side branch of the Wens, were her family now too. And A-Yuan was like a son to her.

Then one day, the most beautiful person stepped into the salon. She had recognised her immediately when she stepped in, not just as Lan XiChen’s younger sister but also as the stiff-looking girl that had always won several competitions when she was still competing. She had always wanted to go head to head with her, but alas, they never did have the chance. Wei Ying had always wanted to get to know her better. Lan Zhan always did look rather lonely. She felt sad that she always seemed to not have any friends. When she flirted with the other, she had asked herself what she was doing but flirting came too easily when it came to Lan Zhan.

Although she should have never actually accepted Lan Zhan’s offer to go to a café, she didn’t regret her decision. After a few of them, Nie HuaiSang had started calling them dates instead. There was so much teasing from him about how she was crushing hard on the taller girl.

“You act so excited whenever she’s coming in for her haircut or when you’re going to meet her up the next day at a café.”, he had said. “It’s obvious you have a crush on her.”

“You definitely do have a crush on her!” MianMian had chimed in. “It’s actually quite cute and nice. It’s about time you settled down with a nice person.” she had teased.

It got worse when Wen Qing had given her approval and convinced Lan Zhan that she was starving herself, and then it turned into seeing her almost every day. She treasured those times the most.

Yet, she felt like a coward and a liar. That this was a false life since they were a front, a business that would pack up once their goal had been met. That was what was agreed upon anyway, that they would all go back to their collective lives after that. One thing she did know was true was that she was in love with Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan was so pretty, so good, and so kind. How thoughtful she was towards her made Wei Ying's heart flutter. She loves her, but it wasn’t like she could easily say those words. Every moment they spent, she cherished. If it had been a different circumstance, perhaps she would be brave, but she knew she was living a lie. 

Lan Zhan simply deserved better.

  ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎

That day, when the Wens’ large corporate business came crashing down on itself, another place came crashing down too. It was just that Lan Zhan hadn’t known at the time. When the Wens were made destitute of everything and anything and sentenced to heavy sentences, she didn’t think that something else would disappear either. It wasn’t until she went to the salon and got to the front that she discovered that it had closed down. The outside was boarded up.

Wei Ying’s socials were all deleted, and the salon’s Kamera was deleted too. Her phone number was non-existent too. It was like Wei Ying never existed and that she was a beautiful dream that she had been dreaming all this time. 

It broke her to not have been able to tell her what she felt for the other. It broke her that that day, when Wei Ying had looked at her with those eyes, she didn’t pick up something was wrong, that Wei Ying had been planning to run and run she did.

She had been in a slump ever since that day when the place that made her so happy disappeared. And the person that made her the happiest disappeared too. If she could turn back time, she would grab Wei Ying and tell her how much she meant to her. But alas, it was too late. She had been far too late. The price of not being able to spot that something had been so obviously wrong when the warning signs were there. Those smiles she was giving should have been a warning.

Wei Ying had never smiled like that at her. It broke her heart. 

Her brother had tried to cheer her up, telling her that Wei Ying just needed some time and that he was sure that she would reappear again. Besides, she might be laying low to keep herself safe. After the run-in with Wen Chao, it would make sense for her to want to keep a low profile for now. She could only hope that it was for that reason and that Wei Ying would reappear one day and that her number would become active again eventually.

But at the end of the day, it was up to her to reappear or not. However, her traitorous mind and heart wouldn’t allow it to rest, and so she went on a crazy search for her. Utilising everything she had while forgetting one very easy and important solution. They did say that grief does some strange things to you. She had witnessed it when it came to her father and in her brother too. There was a complicated past to do with him and another friend in the Jin group. However, she never asked him too extensively because she didn’t want to pry. It was like how Lan XiChen hadn’t pried too extensively into her relationship with Wei Ying either.

It was through seeing a photo of her with Wei Ying and the rest of the group in the salon that she remembered a detail and felt extremely stupid for it. 

Nie HuaiSang had to know where she was.

  ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎ ~ ✂︎

She had been right in the end. Nie HuaiSang had known where Wei Ying was. She felt so silly, so foolish and careless when she had realised that detail. Nie HuaiSang always knew where Wei Ying was. He was the only person she kept in contact with when she had lost her home the first time, so why wouldn’t she continue the relationship. But perhaps, some part of her thought that she wouldn’t do so since Lan Zhan herself was linked to Nie HuaiSang. It had been her last hope, and luckily, it wasn’t a disappointment. 

But now, she was nervous. She didn’t know what to say to Wei Ying. Should she confess her feelings to the other? Would that be tone deaf? She knew that the salon had been shut down out of precaution. She knew that Wei Ying did it since she couldn’t take any risks, but she couldn’t help but wonder what became of everyone else. It must have been hard since they were like a family. She could see it when she spent time with them. It was very jarring to spend every afternoon with the group, then suddenly be thrown into a world where your lunch hours were completely free and without loud and rowdy people. She missed the salon, the fun times, the moments where Wei Ying would tell Xue Yang off for threatening to shave someone’s hair again, and the odd fights between Xue Yang and Mo XuanYu. Wei Ying’s shenanigans with Nie HuaiSang and the constant banter that went on in the salon.

Everything had been so warm, it was so nice, and now it was all gone. She felt like she was left in the bitter cold, like it was suddenly winter, and the frost had gotten to her. She wondered if it would ever cease.

She was surprised when Nie HuaiSang let her know that Wei Ying was willing to meet with her. It was a surprise, honestly. She had expected the other to disappear from her life forever. But she was also ecstatic to see Wei Ying again. There was so much she wished she could tell her. She had thought about putting her thoughts to paper, but it felt odd seeing her and then asking her to read this long letter from her. So, she rehearsed a speech in her head and hoped for the best.

The meeting was arranged to be at the Nie residence. It was a good choice as Wei Ying probably felt safe there, and also, it was a safe place, away from prying ears and eyes. Everyone that worked there was screened, so it was safe.

When she arrived, Nie HuaiSang was the one to greet her.

“Follow me. She’s in the gardens.” he had said.

Her head was pounding heavily in her chest. It felt like it was going to escape her chest at any point now. She didn’t know what to do or how to control her heart. With each step she took, the more nervous she got. In her head, she was repeating the words she had been desperately rehearsing all this time for when she eventually found Wei Ying again. Would Wei Ying listen? Would she successfully get her message across? She knew she wasn’t the best when it came to things like communicating with others with words. They just never flowed as easily for her. For her, words didn’t come as easy as they did to Wei Ying, who was full of words. She always put things so well. She wished she had that ability like the other girl. If she did, perhaps she’d understand others a bit better or even connected with a few.

Though, now that she thought of it, before Wei Ying, she hadn’t thought she was even lonely. She hadn’t thought she wanted a rowdy group of friends. She thought that books were the thing she had wanted to stick to. Wei Ying showed her that it wasn’t what she wanted.

When she finally saw Wei Ying, all the words that were in her head had vanished. Once again, she was at a loss for words. She was sitting there, admiring the scenery. But Lan Zhan had noted with much disappointment that her hair was cut short and blonde instead. It felt so wrong. It didn’t feel like Wei Ying. Despite this, she pressed on and walked closer to her.

“Wei Ying.” were the only words that came to her when she saw the other. And to her relief, Wei Ying turned around and faced her.

“Lan Zhan.” she smiled hesitantly before patting the area next to her to indicate for her to sit down beside her. So she did exactly that.

“Wei Ying, I’ve missed you.” she managed.

“Lan Zhan, how can you still be so kind after all I’ve done?” Wei Ying said sadly. “Aren’t you angry that I lied to you?” she said, her eyes desperate as if hoping she would say ‘no’.

“Wei Ying didn’t lie.” she replied.

“Don’t you think I used you?” she asked sadly.

“Why would you think that?” she asked back.

“You told me that HuaiSang told you everything to do with Wen Chao… How I pretended to befriend him to get information from him. Surely, you would have thought I had done the same to you… That I only befriended you to get information out of you.” she said, her eyes looking glossy now.

“No, of course not.” she replied, horrified. “I never thought such things, Wei Ying.” 

“So you don’t think I used you?” she asks softly.

“No. Never did.” she replied firmly, finding courage in her to now take the other’s hands into hers. “Wei Ying would never do such a thing to me.” she said.

It was then, the tears glistening in her eyes began to fall.

“I’ve been so stupid, Lan Zhan.” she mustered. “I-I ran from you for nothing!” she cried. “You didn’t even hate me. You didn’t even think badly of me. I’ve been so stupid!” she said as she started sobbing. 

She didn’t think of anything else but pulling the other into an embrace and holding her while her tears fell. She let the other cry, eventually, the sobs turned quiet, and the tears stopped.

“Lan Zhan, could you ever forgive me for being so stupid?” she cried as she gripped onto Lan WangJi as if she was afraid the other would disappear.

“Wei Ying is not stupid. Wei Ying was scared.” she said quietly as she rubbed soothing circles into her back.

“God, HuaiSang was so right! Sometimes I am a really stupid smart person!” she huffed when they broke their embrace. “I should have just asked you that day instead of running! But instead, all I did was run!” she said. “If only I had asked, then I wouldn’t be looking so stupid in front of you, Lan Zhan. Ai, how do people put up with me? I’m really unbearable, aren’t I?” she laughed bitterly.

“No.” she replied and, for once feeling brave, cupped Wei Ying’s face with her hands.

“Wei Ying is perfect. Wei Ying is the best.” she said. As those words were spoken, she watched with delight as the other’s beautiful silver eyes glistened and her cheeks flushed up. 

Wei Ying was so beautiful.

Those lips were so kissable.

“Lan Zhan~ If you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to melt.” Wei Ying whined quietly.

That was when she lost control and closed the gap between them, doing what she had always wanted to when it came to the shorter girl. To her, the moment had felt so good, a long-awaited moment. It wasn’t until her lips were against the other’s that she had realised with horror that she had kissed the other without their consent. However, when the other returned the kiss, pulling the two of them closer, she realised with happiness that she had felt the same.

“I’m so glad it’s all over, Lan Zhan. I’m so tired, honestly. I slept for days after we finally did it.” she said. “Wen Qing was so worried. She thought I had died!” she laughed as she stared up at Lan WangJi, who had her head cradled in her lap. The shorter girl’s fingers twirling a strand of her hair.

“Ai, I’ve been terrible, Lan-jiejie. I’ve been neglecting my duties as your hairdresser.” she smiled up at her fondly.

“It’s alright. Wei Ying has so much time to make up for it.” she said as she put her hand in her hair, frowning at the colour and shortness of it.

“I preferred Wei Ying’s hair when it was long with red in it.” she frowned.

To her surprise, Wei Ying giggled. “Well, lucky for you, it hasn’t gone away.” she mused. “Give me a second, hm?” she said as she sat up and began pulling at her hair before the blonde came off. After a while, Wei Ying sighed happily as her long black hair with the red that Lan Zhan had loved so much came cascading down.

“It’s a wig.” she laughed. “Did you think I was really going to cut my hair, Lan Zhan?” she smiled.

She didn’t answer her, only pulled her into another kiss.